Giant adds carbon to new 29er line

Giant also brought out its first-ever line of full-suspension 29ers made specifically for women, and a new composite 29er wheelset.

The 4-inch-travel Anthem bikes, ranging in retail price from $3,300 to $8,900, are designed with a carbon fiber front end and aluminum rear swingarm, which allowed engineers to drop 185 grams from the original Anthem 29er.

“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more frustrating for a category manager than developing a bike that isn’t attainable for consumers, a bike they can’t get out and ride on,” Dana told a roomful of journalists gathered at Giant’s pre-Sea Otter media launch in Westlake Village, California, near the company’s U.S. headquarters.

The new composite bikes complement the original Anthem X, which has been Giant’s most successful dual-suspension bike ever, Dana said.

The Anthem X 29W is Giant’s first dual-suspension 29er targeted specifically for women. The aluminum frame, 4-inch-travel bikes are designed with women’s-specific geometry including a shorter toptube, adjusted seat and head angles, shorter crank length and women’s-specific saddle.

Its lowest gear ratio is 22/36.

“Let me tell you, you can ride up walls with this thing; it’s awesome,” said Abby Santurbane, LIV/Giant product developer. The X7 version runs $2,950 and the X4 model is $1,850.

The 2013 model year bikes are already shipping and should be available in stores soon.